Heart Healthy Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Mouthwatering salmon filets coated with a thick, tangy balsamic glaze, baked in the oven, and garnished with thinly sliced scallions. This Heart Healthy Balsamic Glazed Salmon is quick and easy, and comes together in just under 30 minutes. Pair it with your favorite quinoa or brown rice, and a side of veggies, and you’ll have an amazing meal in no time.

While I was shopping at Costco the other day, I bought a gorgeous piece of salmon, and I knew I wanted to do something special with it. (I’ve been trying to get our family to eat more salmon. It has so many wonderful health benefits, and I feel like I need to make it more often.) I was on a role brainstorming a great marinade, sauce or glaze, until I had to take a break from being a chef, and had to resume my mommy duties.

All of a sudden, the dinner hour rolled around, and it dawned on me that I had forgotten all about creating a fabulous marinade for our salmon. I looked in the fridge, and found my very plain, very un-marinated salmon staring up at me. Let’s be honest, while I did put a lot of thought and time into researching how I WAS planning on letting this beautiful salmon soak up a luscious marinade for hours, this was one night where that just wasn’t going to happen. So, on to plan B!

With two starving boys, a hungry husband, and a pregnant mommy who can always eat, I put on my thinking cap. I needed something that I could pull together quickly, that would taste great, (was secretly healthy), and would of course be pleasing to my whole family.

Here’s a little bit about how this Heart Healthy Balsamic Glazed Salmon was created. The inspiration for my recipe came about after I read this recipe for Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Fillets. When I first came across it, I thought it looked good, but needed some work. I liked parts of the recipe, but didn’t like them all. How did I make it great? I simplified the directions, and tested and retested my recipe and method. I omitted a few ingredients, made a few substitutions, and added a few essential elements. I love how the the soy sauce and ginger help to neutralize the vinegar, but don’t overpower it.

Just a little note about this recipe, this isn’t a super sweet or super salty glaze. When stirring and cooking the sauce, it may look a bit “vinegary”, but I assure you that when brushed on the salmon and baked, the vinegar flavor in the glaze pairs wonderfully with the salmon.

So, it was a small challenge, and a race for time, but the end result was well worth it. We have already made this recipe twice in the last two weeks, and I just made it again last night! The boys devoured it, and Andrew and I were almost licking our plates, (I mean, that would be rude, right?) Instead, we were using our veggies to scrape up every last bit of the yummy glaze.

This quick and easy, Heart Healthy Balsamic Glazed Salmon can come together in just under 30 minutes. With only a minimal amount of preparation, a few minutes on the stove, and a short time in the oven, you can turn ordinary salmon into an extraordinary culinary experience.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Evenly space out salon fillets on foil.

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, sherry, honey, and ginger, and whisk together.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and stir. Cook for about 1 minute until slightly soft and fragrant, but not browned. Pour in vinegar mixture and stir together. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until glaze has reduced greatly and is very thick and syrupy. (It should not be runny.)

Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons (use an even amount for each) of glaze onto each filet, and then brush glaze evenly over each piece.

Bake for about 10-14 minutes, or until fish is cooked through, and can easily flake with a fork.